Somethea is a 12-year-old boy from Cambodia. He is in the 8th grade and enjoys studying Khmer literature and history. He hopes to become a policeman when he grows up. Somethea has two brothers and likes to play football with them in his free time. His mother is a tailor, and his father stays home.
When he was two years old, Somethea’s right hand was burned in a cooking fire. After the burn healed, the skin around his fingers retracted and bent his finger, resulting in one of his finger joints becoming partially dislocated. This condition causes him pain, and he cannot move his fingers, write with a pen or pencil, or hold objects in his hand.
When Somethea learned about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On December 15th, surgeons at CSC will perform a contracture release and full-thickness skin graft to relieve him of pain and allow him to use his fingers again. CSC is requesting $673 to fund this procedure. Somethea’s family was able to gather $100 to contribute to his care.
Somethea said: “I hope I can use my hand after this operation and have no more pain.”